Siemens SD660


The Siemens SD660 is a double-articulated, 70%-low-floor light rail vehicle manufactured by Siemens Transportation Systems, a division of Siemens AG. It was the first low-floor light rail vehicle to be used in the United States. It first entered service in 1997 with its only operator, TriMet, on the MAX light rail system in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was originally known as the SD600.

History

The initial order placed by TriMet, in May 1993, was for 39 cars. It was the first order for low-floor light rail vehicles in North America. The order was subsequently expanded to 46 cars and ultimately to 52. TriMet received the first car, which it numbered 201, in July 1996, and the first nine cars entered service on August 31, 1997. Siemens retroactively changed the car's model designation from SD600 to SD660, a change relating to its use of AC motors running on 60 Hz instead of DC ones, in 1998. The 52nd car was received by TriMet in April 2000.
TriMet later purchased 27 more SD660s, which were built between 2003 and 2005. TriMet designated these "Type 3" in its fleet and numbered them 301–327. The last car was delivered in March 2005.
All 79 SD660 cars were originally equipped with rollsign-type destination signs. TriMet replaced the original signs with LED-type signs in a two-year conversion program that lasted from fall 2014 to August 2016.

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